Activists Call for Deseret Chemical Depot Closure Once Chemical Weapons Destruction Complete

The Chemical Weapons Working Group submitted a letter yesterday to the U.S. Base Realignment and Closure Commission arguing against any future use of chemical disposal facilities once they have finished their work (see GSN, Aug. 25).

The commission last month voted to explore whether the U.S. Army’s Deseret Chemical Depot in Utah could be used to destroy conventional weapons, a move that was supported by local and federal officials.

Jason Groenewold, of the Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah, disagreed.

“There is nothing ‘environmentally friendly’ about incineration, and any short-lived economic gain to Utah would be wiped out by the environmental and health threats posed by this technology.  We in Utah have already sacrificed enough for our government's military experiments and weapons production,” Groenewold said in a Working Group press release.

In its letter, the organization said the Army has backed away from a pledge to dismantle the facilities once work is completed. It called for the development of nonincinerator technology to destroy conventional weapons (Chemical Weapons Working Group release, Sept. 8).

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